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Teen smokers face tickets: Birmingham to begin zero-tolerance policy

By Russel Whitaker

    BIRMINGHAM -- Police have a warning for underage smokers: Put the butts out or face criminal prosecution.
    Officers will begin a zero tolerance policy this month, and plan to ticket every underage smoker they find with cigarettes.
    The new policy came out of the March 27 summit sponsored by the Birmingham Community Coalition.
    "Tobacco is a gateway drug, it can lead to use of marijuana and other drugs," said Deputy Police Chief Richard Patterson. "There is a considerable amount of use in the uptown area, you can drive down the street and see it happen.
    "The action has been to warn the offenders, and everyone goes on their way. The coalition feels there should be stronger enforcement of the law."
    Police will put offenders into the judicial system and try to educate about the harmful effects of tobacco and drug use.
    Teens ticketed could face a district court judge and fines, or depending on their age, end up in probate court, where they likely will have to be accompanied by their parents.
    Meghan Young, a 15-year-old who goes to Birmingham Groves High School, thinks ticketing teen smokers is probably a good idea, but it might be a bit too extreme.
    "Maybe some of the teens that are smoking that shouldn't be, would stop," said Young, who does not smoke. "It seems sometimes like other things aren't working."
    Patterson said the crackdown will be implemented at the annual Village Fair, May 27. The Village Fair is a favorite hangout for teen-agers.
    He said letters have been sent to the school district about the policy so teens will be warned.
    Anna Wagner, 17, doesn't smoke but has friends who do and some of them have gotten ticketed for it before.
    "I think a ticket is more of a nuisance," said Wagner, who lives in Birmingham. "It hasn't even crossed their mind to stop smoking. It's more of an embarrassment to get caught."
    Other area police departments also plan stricter enforcement, particularly Beverly Hills, Troy and Bloomfield Hills.
    "We have decided that we will take the necessary action when finding violations," Bloomfield Hills Lt. Jeff Werner said.
    Werner and Beverly Hills Public Safety Director John Knots said that their situation is different than from Birmingham's because they don't have downtowns, where teens tend to congregate.

Teen-age smoking

    Few studies have attempted to quantify how many Michigan students smoke cigarettes. One, conducted during the 1995-1996 school year suggested that Michigan students light up in greater numbers than the rest of the nation. The Michigan study found that 8.3 percent of sixth-graders, 25.2 percent of eighth-graders, 35.6 percent of tenth-graders and 37.4 percent of 12th-graders had smoked in the previous month.
   
    Russel Whitaker is a Troy free-lance writer. Detroit News Staff Writer Nicole Bondi contributed.